A Major New Festival Celebrating Queer Art And Culture is Coming To Brisbane

A spectacular new chapter in the realm of artistic celebrations is set to unfold in Brisbane, Australia, as Melt OPEN Festival prepares to grace the city with an explosion of queer art and culture this October and November.

Promising an unforgettable extravaganza of diversity, inclusivity, and boundless creative expression, Melt Open Festival aims to take the legacy of its precursor, the hugely successful Melt Festival, to unprecedented heights.

Now in its seventh year at Brisbane Powerhouse, the esteemed festival has paved the way for Melt Open to emerge as a beacon of celebration, paying homage to queer art, artists, allies, icons, sport, and groundbreaking ideas.

Set against the backdrop of Brisbane's impending role as the host city for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Melt Open Festival aspires to raise the bar even higher, encompassing a larger array of venues, a more diverse roster of artists, and an outpouring of LGBTQIA+ love that will resonate throughout the city.

Melt Open Festival is set to unfold across an assortment of central Brisbane locales, including Fortitude Valley, Newstead, New Farm, Brisbane City, West End, and Woolloongabba.

The festival welcomes artists, performers, visual artists, and producers to partake in the grand affair scheduled for October and November 2024.

Oganisers have also extended their call to Brisbane venues, inviting expressions of interest from those eager to play a pivotal role in this transformative event.

As the spotlight turns towards October/November 2024, Melt Open Festival beckons the city and the world to come together in a glorious celebration of art, culture, and the unwavering spirit of inclusivity.

Kate Gould, CEO/Artistic Director of Brisbane Powerhouse, says of Melt Open, "Prepare to be enthralled by captivating events that engage the city and boundary-pushing art that challenges norms. Expect mass community participation events that celebrate the rich diversity of Queensland’s LGBTQIA+ communities and their allies."

Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said Melt Open was predicted to bring more than 4,000 interstate and international visitors to Brisbane.

"This is another in the Queensland capital’s glittering line-up of world-class events, sharing the state’s great lifestyle on our runway to the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games," Hinchliffe said.

“Anticipated to generate more than $8 million for the visitor economy, Melt OPEN is terrific news for the city’s accommodation, hospitality, transport and tourism operators and Queensland jobs.”           
 
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the international festival would become a new highlight in the city’s major events calendar.
 
“We’re proud to support homegrown Brisbane events like this that celebrate our diverse community and culture, while supporting the city’s world-class creative industry,” Cr Schrinner said.
 
“Melt OPEN is an incredible addition to the city’s jampacked major events calendar, that will not only attract thousands of visitors to Brisbane but showcase and support our thriving cultural precincts from Fortitude Valley to Woolloongabba.”
 
Newly appointed Melt OPEN Executive Producer Pieta Farrell, independent producer and arts manager, will travel to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August to seek international artists and producers for Melt OPEN 2024.

Melt OPEN is supported by Tourism Events Queensland and Brisbane Economic Development Agency in association with Brisbane Powerhouse.

Artists, producers, venues and community members can submit expressions of interest to be a part of Melt OPEN HERE.

For more info on the fetsival, head to brisbanepowerhouse.org